This relates generally to graphics processing and, particularly, to the generation of graphical animated images.
Graphics images are generated in a variety of applications, including animated movies and video games. Shadows may play an important role in creating realistic graphic images. A viewer uses shadows to gain an appreciation for the position, size, and geometry of objects in a scene.
In many cases, techniques for forming shadows are subject to aliasing. Aliasing occurs when the local sampling density in the shadow is too low or too high.
Shadow maps are one popular technique for rendering shadows in graphics images. Partitioning algorithms partition a scene and use a separate shadow map for each partition. For example, one shadow map may be used for areas closer to the viewer while another shadow map may be used for areas further from the viewer. However, providing too many partitions may result in rendering too many shadow maps, resulting in a fairly expensive solution.
In some partitioning algorithms, the artist must position the shadow map partition in what the artist believes is the most ideal location. However, this may be time consuming and often the solution is not close to the ideal.